


sick of losing soulmates (but they love you so much that you won't forget it)

by twa



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Aged Up, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, M/M, Slow Burn, Sort Of, Tags will be updated when I have braincells, The Boys Are Alive, Un'beta'd we die like himbos, let julie molina say fuck, roommates au, so much pining it should be a forest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28149168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twa/pseuds/twa
Summary: She dreamed of eyes the color of the finest whiskey, moles she could connect to create the constellations, lips that she craved to have on her skin, goofy smiles, and tension that lingered around her long after she awoke. "You are a force of nature, Julie Molina," Luke spoke, resting his forehead against hers.She could feel him breathing her in, gripping her so tightly it's like he thought if he let go she'd disappear. "I learned from the best, y'know?"When I fall to my knees and let the tears fall down like the perfect storm will you fall to your knees too and cry with me?
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn & Julie Molina, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 58





	sick of losing soulmates (but they love you so much that you won't forget it)

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was born because I have way too many feelings about jatp and I needed somewhere to unload so welcome to the ride. I've been completely hyperfixated on this story for the last month so I finally decided to just post the chapter!
> 
> (Julie and the boys are aged up in the story fyi!)
> 
> Unbeta'd so all mistakes belong to me!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters. I've just created an AU'd world where they can happily play out my wildest fantasies.

Things were coming together in the house. Julie had finally managed to get the four years of dust off of everything, and consequently stopped sneezing. It was too weird being back in the infamous childhood Molina home. The last time she saw it, everything looked so much brighter. Now, the floorboards creaked a little louder, the walls seemed to shake more holding the weight of old family photos, even the sun looked a little dimmer in the sky of a Los Feliz without her mom. Flynn's voice echoed through the memory-tainted hallways pulling Julie out of the grey cloud that seemed to jade her vision these days. 

"Jules, I'm telling you. These next couple of months will _fly by._ Before you know it, I'll be there on break, graveling at the very knees of those who run admissions to let me into USC," Flynn's voice rang through the speakers of Julie's phone, that was propped up against the salt and pepper shakers shaped like a saxophone and guitar respectively.

Julie huffed angrily in an attempt to blow the few stray curls that had fallen loose from her bun as she heaved the last of her boxes into the kitchen. "I just don't know what I'm going to do without you. Like, who's gonna go to Target with me at 4 in the afternoon on a Thursday?"

"Maybe you could call Carrie?"

She cackled. Like, Julie, straight up let out a full body laugh as she stacked the remaining cardboard. "Yeah, I'd rather hang out with the ghosts in the attic."

Flynn's screen went black followed by a lot shuffling before she reappeared in the camera with her makeup bag. "Well, I guess you're lucky then that facetime exists and you're wonderful best friend will accompany you while she does her makeup," she says, flicking on a light positioned behind the phone.

"What would I do without you?" Julie mused.

"I ask myself that everyday, Jules," Flynn retorted, earning another muffled snort.

They sat mostly in silence after that, Julie throwing random make up suggestions here and there, or Flynn offering her decorating tips as she attempting to make the home feel less...lonely. Something was missing, and she couldn't exactly pinpoint what. She had an idea of what was missing but-- she needed lightbulbs so she could stop sleeping with every light on at night. Not that she'd ever voice it to Flynn or her dad or Carlos, but she'd stayed up until sunrise every night so far.

"Hey, I'm gonna run and grab some lightbulbs from the studio. Okay?" She threw out into the air. Flynn just huffed in response, too busy with her eyeliner to really process the words she had said yet.

The path out to the backyard felt oddly-- expectedly-- nostalgic. Branches still snagged at her ponytail as she walked, the steps still the same awkward width apart. She honestly hadn't even realized she was standing in front of the studio until her converse knocked against the frame. Julie stared at the two white doors, hands pressed firmly against the cold metal of the handles; but, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She hadn't ever thought she'd end up back here, _hell_ she didn't even know her last time would be her last time. Now, she stood in front of those doors and she couldn't even fucking open them. How pathetic.

She turned promptly on her heels, practically running a goddamn 40k back towards the house. By the time the back door slammed shut, a fierce laugh was clawing its way up her throat. Her chest felt like it was about to explode; not enough air but too many feelings. She had been running like someone had been chasing her! She must've looked ridiculous to anyone within a 3 mile radius. She couldn't acknowledge what she had been running from--not right now-- so instead, she laughed. A laugh so loud it startled Flynn, who had jumped so hard on the other line she messed up her eyeliner throwing curses and questions at the girl currently hunched over by the kitchen counter.

"Jules, what the hell?"

It was like she couldn't stop. She didn't want to. And, slowly, a sob so intense she felt it in her toes made its way out. Tears of laughter and sadness mixed on her cheeks and she gripped tightly onto the gold chain hanging around her neck. It's like her body was going into shock. The tears kept falling and the laugh kept coming and everything felt like it was on fire. And, as soon as it came, it was gone. She sucked in a deep breath, picked herself up off the ground, and returned to the phone where Flynn was staring at her with wide eyes.

Flynn just sat there, giving her friend time to wipe her tears. "Are you okay?"

Julie just nodded. "Yeah. Yeah. I just need some air so I'll call you back later, okay?"

She hung up the phone before her best friend could offer up a rejection, grabbed her keys and headed towards the door. Studio be damned, she'd just go to Target.

\--

Target was, well for lack of any moral shame, her happy place. Sad? Go to Target. Happy? Go to Target. Mad? Go to Target. Basically, if she needed to do some deep emotional diving, she went to Target; because nothing is more emotionally gratifying than some retail therapy. At least that's what she'd tell her Dad when he asked her about the ridiculously high credit card bill he'd receive in about a week.

On the bright side, it was working. She had reduced her post-cry sniffles to about one everything ten minutes or so, and the knot in her throat had slowly, but surely, turned into a tiny pebble that she'd clear away absentmindedly every couple of minutes.

By the time she got to the aisle containing the lightbulbs--and if she had $60 worth of other things she didn't _really_ need, who needed to know--The Middle by Zedd had began to play and all previous sad emotions had passed as she hummed the lyrics under her breath. And if she hadn't been spacing out, voice picking up momentum as the chorus came around, she would have heard feet tumble towards her, skidding hastily to a halt right behind her.

But she didn't. She spun around intending to check the previous shelves when she noticed the tall, blonde boy standing nearly toe to toe with her. "Gah! Oh my god! What the hel--" she stopped short, actually taking in the boy standing disheveled in front of her.

He loomed over her, cap perched on his head, long blonde hair cascading down by his shoulders, and black fanny pack strapped across the front of his chest. With wide wet eyes and mouth opening and closing like a fish, his hand outstretched as if he wanted to grab her but was fighting against the urge. "Julie?"

Julie felt like someone superglued her shoes to the floor. All she could do was stare at him and _damnit_ she was really about to cry in the middle of a Target. He didn't necessarily look older but he was sporting a a blooming five o'clock shadow that made him look more _man_ than _boy,_ and his eyes looked wiser. "Alex?"

It's like their brains kicked into gear at the same time because in the same instant Julie's fingertips gripped the bottom of his pink hoodie and his hands wrapped tight around her neck surging her forward until their chests collided. It knocked the air out of her for a bunch of reasons she was too overwhelmed to let herself acknowledge. They hung onto each other for dear life; Julie running her nose against his collarbone, cataloging how he still smelt of lavender and mint, while Alex pressed chaste kisses against every free space of the top of her head. It had been years--four to be exact-- and being locked tight in the taller boy's arms was the only thing that had felt right since-- everything. There was no better feeling in the world. Alex really did give the best hugs. How she wished she hadn't screwed everything up so badly.

"What are you doing here?" she mumbled into his hoodie, noticing the big, wet stain she had left in her wake.

She would've tumbled right over by the force of which he pushed her back just enough to see her face had he hands not been bunched in the neckline of her shirt. " _Me?_ I live here. You on the other hand, do not. So, what are _you_ doing here?"

"I- I just moved back." The statement registered on his face and before she could object, he had looped his arms underneath her arms and was twirling her around in the middle of the lightbulb like a giddy toddler on Christmas Day.

"That's so awesome, Jules. You have no idea how great this is. Reg is gonna flip o--" He was cut off by a phone ringing.

Julie instinctively reached for her pocket, expecting it to be Flynn who had texted her on the way over telling her to "Call when you back home from Target xoxo." It was Alex's instead and she briefly caught sight of shaggy brown on the lock screen before had it up to his ear. Suddenly she felt sick. Her heart was beating against her ribcage as if the blonde boy was whamming away at the drums right beside her, her hands were clammy, and she could feel the tears starting to pool at the bottom of her eyelids. Luke and her hadn't spoken in years. She wasn't sure if she ever wanted to talk to him again. Okay, that was a lie. She missed him. She missed him more than she knew how to put into words but she'd never give him the satisfaction of telling him that; not after what he said before she left.

Screaming could be heard over the phone--a mix of who she assumed was Reggie and Luke's voices--to which Alex just dramatically held the phone away from his ear, giving her a exasperated sigh before answering, "Dude, dude calm down. I got a little caught up but I'll be out in 10 minutes," and promptly hung up.

"Gotta run?"

"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. She was minutely aware of the fact that their hands were still interlocked and that neither one of them seemed keen on letting go just yet. Not when she had just gotten him back. She was honestly considering running back into his chest and hiding there until the end of time.

"I should probably let you go then," she trailed off, squeezing onto his hand a little tighter.

He stared at her with wide eyes before blurting out, almost as if on accident, "You should come over for dinner tonight."

She actually fucking stuttered because _what_? There was no way she could be in the same room with Luke, no way her heart could handle it. Not right now. Not after everything. She had to be at USC bright and early to prove she could be half the musician her mother was in TWO days and she had no time to be distracted by pretty boys with voices like angels and hair she just wanted to run her fingers through and that was totally besides the point; but Alex was looking at her with those green eyes, lip jutted out ever so slightly, toying lightly with her fingers and she was toast. How could she say no? She could never say no to her boys. "Alex..."

"Please, Jules? We _miss_ you. _I_ miss you. It hasn't been the same since you left." And there's so much left unsaid in those few words. Years worth of wanting call but being afraid no one would answer, tears shed only when it was too dark for anyone else to see, re-read texts and voicemails played as a lullaby. Too many things to be unleashed in the middle of a Target on a Thursday, that was for sure. "Jus- Just come over. I'll cook, we can catch up, you can tell me and Reg all about Texas."

She chewed on her lip nervously. It was a lost cause to even pretend that she would turn down the opportunity, and they both knew it. Choosing not to respond, she simply handed over her phone. He happily put his number in, pausing to call himself so he could have hers in return, before pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. "It's gonna be great, I promise. I'll see you later," he called as he phone buzzed for the second time, and he turned to run off in the other direction.

It was a horrible idea. She was officially going to blow up her life in Los Feliz for the second time and she couldn't help but feel like she had walked right into that one. But, she _had_ missed them more than she would've like to admit. Everything from Alex's hugs after a long day to bumping shoulders with Reggie as they sat on the beach. She missed it all in the last four years. She tossed a box of lightbulbs in the cart as she tried not to think too hard about Alex being one of the first people to not look at her with pity, like she was a second away from breaking. Like she wasn't a force of freaking nature. All he saw was the Julie he used to know and love. And for right now, that was enough. She tried even harder not to think about if Luke would still look at her the same way too.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all liked this, babes! I am so undecided about whether or not to go the enemies to lovers trope or the roommates au trope so this just kinda turned into a big mashup so we'll work out the kinks as we go.
> 
> Feedback greatly appreciated! Thanks for stopping by!
> 
> Also, dropping the link to my Tumblr 


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